Rail-joint chair.



w, R. HEDRICK & A. c. THROCKMORTONf RAIL JOINT CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI. 1916.

l 1 92,304. Patented July 2 5, 1916;

WIIIfiIIIIIIIIIIIII III'I I W 1 4 i 9 mfim WILLIAM RUFUS HEDRIGK AND ARIS CRITTENDEN THBOCKMORTON, 0F RAPIDAN,

VIRGINIA.

RAIL-JOINT CHAIR.

Application filed May 1, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM R. HED- RICK and ARIs C. THROCKMORTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Rapidan, in the county of Gulpeper and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Chairs, of which the following is a specification' This invention relates to improvements in means for connecting the meeting ends of two railway rails.

In carrying out our invention it is our aim to produce a joint chair comprising a plurality of members so constructed and arranged as to afford a wedging action upon the rails to assist the securing bolts in maintaining the rails upon the joint chair against movement in any but in a limited longitudinal direction, incident to the contraction and expansion of said rails.

It is also our purpose to produce a means for connecting the meeting ends of two rails which shall comprise a base having removable sides, novel means being provided for con necting one of the sides of the base to hold the same against movement in any direction when the said side is contracted by the rails and the other side being in the nature of a wedge member which is adapted to force the rails into tight engagement with the first mentioned side, and simple but novel means being provided for securing the wedge member upon the base.

with the above and other objects in View the improvement resides in the construction, comblnation and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and fall-' ing within the scope of the appended claims.

'In the drawing: Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating two rails connected in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view illustrating the construction of the openings in the base plate'by the dotted lines, Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal sectional view approximately on the line H of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5is a detail sectional ir iew approximately on the line 5-5 of As illustrated by the accompanying drawing, our joint chair includes a flat base 1 which is centrally positioned upon and spiked to a tie 2. The base 1, adjacent one of its edges, is formed with an upstanding Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Serial No. 94,849.

end extends beyond the base proper, but,

and as illustrated in the drawing, the chair may be cut inwardly from the said narrower end of the rib. The base 1, adjacent to its opposite edge is provided with rectangular openings 5 and is further provided with notches 6 which enter the said openings at the outer ends of the openings. The openings 5 are disposed away from each other a distance approximately equaling the width of the tie 2, and the tie is arranged centrally of the joint chair between the said openings.

The numeral 7 designates one of the removable sides for the chair. This side 7 is in the nature of an angle bar having its inner face shaped to engage with one of the sides of the rails 8 which are seated upon the base 1 of the chair. The angular side 7 is provided upon its outer edge with depending lugs 9 which have their outer ends or their ends adjacent to the ends of the angular side proper notched in a line with the base of the said side providing the lower and outer corners of the said lugs with extending fingers 10. The combined length of the lug and the finger provided thereon equals that of the whole length of the openings 5, and the thickness of the lug corre sponds with the width of the portions 6, and the fingers 10 are spaced away from the lower wall of the side a distance approximately equaling the thickness of the base 1. Thus it will be noted that the fingers and lugs may be first passed through the registering openings and notches and as the length of the lugs corresponds with the length of the openings 5, the fingers 10 of the said-lugs will underlie the base 1 when the angular side 7 is forced outwardly or toward the edge of the base.

The second removable side for the joint chair is indicated by the numeral 11 and also comprises a member in the nature of an angle bar. The horizontal member of the side 11 is substantially wedgeshaped; that is, one of the ends of the said horizontal or base portion of the member is of a greater width than the other end and this wedge portion of the said member 11 is adapted to be received in the channel 4 of the rib 3 and contacting with the inner wall provided by the said channel will cause the side 11 to be moved laterally of the base chair in the direction of the rails, and consequently force the rails into tight engagement with the removable side 7. The reduced end of the base or horizontal portion of the wedge member 11 is provided with a longitudinally extending groove terminating in a notch and seated within this groove is a bolt member 12 which has its inner end bent angu larly, as at 13, and the said angular portion is received within the referred to notch.

It will be noted by reference to the figures of the drawing that both of the side members of the joint chair are of an equal length, and the bolt member 13 thus projects beyond the wedge section or side 11 and also beyond the reduced or narrower end of the rib 8. The extending end of the bolt is adapted to also pass through an opening in a flanged plate 1% which engages with the end of the rib and the projecting end of the base, while the numeral 15 designates a nut which is screwed upon the bolt and is brought, into contact with the plate 14. By adjusting the nut the wedge member or side 11 may be likewise adjusted.

The vertical plates of the movable side may be provided with the usual bolt openings which register with similar openings in the webs of the rails 8, and securing ele-- ments, such as the ordinary bolts pass through these openings, the said bolts being retained through the medium of the usual nuts, as shown in the drawings.

By reference to the drawing it will be noted that the lugs 9 are contacted by the opposite sides of the tie 2 thus maintaining the side 7 against longitudinal movement, while the rails engaged by the wedge member 11 will prevent the lateral movement of the said Side 7.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the simplicity of the device, as well as the advantages thereof will, it is thought, be perfectly apparent to those skilled in the art to which such invention appertains without further detailed description.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim is:

1. A rail joint chair including a base which is adapted to be centrally secured to cident with thesides of the tie, and the op' posite ends being reduced, an angle plate having depending lugs provided with fingers which are adapted to be passed through the openings and to be moved outwardly of the base to permit of the fingers contacting with the underface of the base, a second removable side havin its horizontal portion wedge-shaped and adapted to be received in the groove of the rib and by virtue of the contacting with the inner wall of the groove to be moved laterally toward the first mentioned side, a bolt member removably secured to the narrower end of the last men tioned side, a plate for the projecting end of the rib having an opening through which the bolt passes, and a nut for the bolt. I

2. A joint chair for connecting the meeting ends of two railway rails, including a base having a channeled rib arranged longitudinally adjacent one of its edges and having substantially L-shaped slots adjacent its opposite edges, a removable side having substantially L-shaped depending lugs adapted to be passed through the L-sha'ped slots and to be moved laterally of the base to permit of the projecting oortions'of the said L- shaped lugs engaging with the underface of the base, a second removable side having an angularly disposed horizontal portion adapted to be received in the channel of the rib and by virtue of the engagement with the inner wall of the said channel to be moved laterally ofthe base in the direction of the first mentioned side, and means for adjustably securing the last mentioned side to the base.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures. a

l/Vitnesses:

E. W. ARMENTROUT, J, J. lVIADDOX.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

